ESPN predicts Playoff chances for Clemson, Florida State

ESPN's Heather Dinich sees a possibility where Clemson and Florida State can each grab a Playoff bid for another multi-bid season for the ACC.

by TigerNet Staff - Thu Jul 13 12:23:04 GMT-04:00 2023

With two teams getting some preseason hype, ESPN+ assessed the ACC's chances to repeat 2020 and have multiple Playoff teams.

That 2020 season had some unique challenges that brought Notre Dame in as a full member for one campaign to make it a 15-team standings, and the ACC returns to the division-less format without the Irish this season in hopes of multiple bids again.

ESPN's metrics say that is highly unlikely, however, where after much better multi-bid chances for the SEC (51%) and Big Ten (25%) -- the ACC is a distant third (less than 1%).

ESPN analyst Heather Dinich "strongly" disagrees with the metric assessment.

"Strength of schedule and no more divisions in the ACC. Clemson and Florida State can face each other twice -- once on Sept. 23 at Clemson and again in the ACC championship game if they finish as the league's top two teams, which is a strong possibility," said Dinich. "Clemson could sneak in without winning the conference thanks in part to a win against Notre Dame if the Irish stay ranked. A road win at rival South Carolina could also prove valuable if coach Shane Beamer's program takes another step forward and again finishes as a top-25 team. Clemson could have a regular-season win over the ACC champs, but lose a close game to FSU in the conference title game. If that's the lone loss, the Tigers would still make a compelling argument.

"The flip side holds true for the Seminoles, who could have regular-season wins against defending SEC West champ LSU, and road wins at Clemson and Florida -- but lose to the Tigers in the ACC title game. The same would obviously hold true for both teams if they lost to each other during the regular season but then won the ACC title."

She says inconsistency for either program could hold back that chance, though.

"Can either of these teams really reach the ACC title game undefeated or with one loss?" Dinich asked. "Their schedules could either catapult them in or knock them out. Clemson's defense is going to be outstanding, but the Tigers have a new quarterback in Cade Klubnik and new offensive coordinator in Garrett Riley. While expectations are high for both, Florida State, North Carolina and Notre Dame will have the edge in experienced QBs. Florida State beat LSU last year but couldn't handle Wake Forest, NC State or Clemson, losing three straight."